Serena's Glam Slam

Some of Serena Williams's best looks have been named after the contents of a fruit basket. When she was 17, there was a dress she christened Peach Pleasure. "It was peach on one half and white in the middle. So cute," she says. At the U.S. Open in 2002, Strawberry Ice (strawberry for the color, ice for the Harry Winston Diamonds), then, at a tournament in L.A. in 2004, Lime Time (self-explanatory). And, of course, the Catsuit, which was definitively not a fruit. While Williams rocked a slick black Puma number on court at the 2002 U.S. Open, in the locker room beforehand, she was not so confident. She says now, "I was like, 'I can't go out there. Oh, my God, I'm so nervous, I can't go out. I feel really exposed.'" She asked fellow player Justine Henin what she thought. (Henin recommended a more traditional skirt and top.) But the rest, as they say, is history. "I felt so comfortable," she remembers, "and after that, I owned it."

Today, Williams, 28, is doing Saucy Stripe (my name, not hers). It's a few days before the start of the French Open, and she glides out of her chauffeured Roland Garros limo into the Hotel Montalembert on black stilettos and encased in a black Lycra minidress. Saucy Stripe refers to her jacket, which is a bold black and white and, teamed with her new golden bob and bangs, makes her look, just a little, like a coquette.

Coquette is not the word that comes to mind when you think about Williams. Number one or sister of Venus or muscles does. But lately, Williams has become the queen of lean. After she won the Australian Open in January, "I wanted to get really fit. I wanted to lose some weight. So I've been doing Pilates and yoga, trying to lean out my body so I won't be bulky." Her regimen: Pilates two or three times a week and when she's training for a tournament, "a couple of hours of hitting, then an hour or two of cardio and strengthening in the gym." Also, when she's at home in L.A., she runs the half mile up a hill to Venus's house instead of driving. But no dieting. "I don't even know the D word," she says with a laugh. There is a training eating plan, though: "Smaller portions of every meal, a lot of grilled or baked chicken or fish, and steamed veggies." Her weakness? "I can never turn down a good piece of cherry pie, but," she continues, "all I know is that in 10 years, I don't want to be as wide as this couch."

It's working. Williams, who adds that "Pilates gave me results within a week," looks the best she's ever looked and is now a size 10 instead of a 12. She has lengthened her muscles, her waist is tiny, and her famous rear is a good thing in a smaller package. Altogether, she's putting the fantastic in fox.

From childhood, growing up with four sisters — including the leggy Venus — Williams knew she was athletic, but it took her a long time to "own it." "When I was six or seven in a swimsuit — I look back at those picture, and my arms are cut and my legs are strong," she says. "I didn't realize that I was really fit and most people aren't. To this day, I don't love my arms. People want more fit arms, but my arms are too fit. But I'm not complaining. They pay my bills."

William Klein

Williams's body confidence came later — and seven Grand Slam singles titles by her early 20s didn't hurt. "I was 23 when I realized that I wasn't Venus. She's totally different," she explains. "I'm super-curvy. I have big boobs and this massive butt. She's tall and she's like a model and she fits everything. I was growing up, wanting to be her, wanting to look like her, and I was always fitting in her clothes, but then one day I couldn't." She pauses. "But it's fine. Now I'm obviously good, but it's a weird thing."

Williams has really grown into her beauty. "Since I don't look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good," she says. She's loving her new bob too. "I feel so much sexier with short hair. I wanted to reach inside me and feel better. I don't want to hide behind a facade of hair." Her favorite part of her body? "My smile. Does that count? I think a smile can make your whole body. Models, they look fabulous, but they don't smile and they look so mad. But I like my smile, how it's bright and it's nice. Good thing my braces worked out."

As did her career. After eight years as on-and-off number one, Williams is more serious about tennis than ever. While she'll have a cocktail (she likes, yes, peach ones), she's amping up for a victorious summer. With no foot faults. "Ugh," she moans of the incident last year in which she blew up at a U.S. Open lineswoman who called a foot fault, causing her to lose the semifinal on a penalty. "Not much makes me angry. I'm always smiling," she says. "But foot faults piss me off because I never foot fault. I've never foot faulted before and never have after. Never."

Another thing that's a challenge for Williams is maintaining a relationship, given her touring schedule. She was dating the rapper and actor Common, but they broke up in April. "His schedule is actually worse than mine," she sighs. "He didn't want the responsibility. It's really tough." Common then began promoting his latest film, heaping enough praise on Williams that people assumed they were still on. ("Beautiful, intelligent woman, fun and spiritual woman. I think she's an incredible person," he told Access Hollywood.)

Williams looks befuddled — befuddled but coquettish. "So I called him and I was like, Why are you saying all this stuff when we're not together?"

Probably because she looks so good.

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